Place a small cardboard box on a sturdy flat surface. Construct a straight line of base blocks along the interior of one of the box's sides. Press the blocks firmly against each other, leaving no spaces between them.
Create a second line of blocks beside the first line. Leave no space between the two lines. Continue to line blocks along the bottom of the container until the entire bottom layer is covered.
Build another layer of blocks identical to the first directly on top of the bottom layer. Continue to layer the blocks until the box is filled exactly. Note the number of layers constructed.
Count the number of blocks along one side of the box, or its length. Note this number on a piece of paper.
Count how many blocks constitute the adjacent side of the box, or its width. Note the number.
Multiply the number of layers, or height, of the box by its width and its length. The product of all three numbers is the volume of the box.
Remove the cubes from the box. Count the number of cubes used to fill the box. Compare the number of individual cubes to the product reached by multiplying the length, width and height of the box together.